This artwork is a collaboration between 6 artists from the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS). In the centre of the artwork is a family – a boy and his parents – and they are surrounded by a circle of individuals including their close friends, neighbours, as well as members of the wider community like policemen. 

In particular, Syuhaidah drew the two police officers at the bottom, while Khairunnisa drew the family in the middle of the circle.

Forming a circle, it is symbolic in representing unity. Furthermore, by showing how one family is supported by so many individuals, the artists show how our lives are all intertwined with those around us – that no man is an island. The artwork encapsulates the idea of an inclusive Singapore, where no one will be left behind, and we can come together as one society, living together harmoniously and enjoying what Singapore has to offer.

Syuhaidah and Khairunnisa participate in MINDS Craft, where they experiment with art forms ranging from glass painting to making candles. Syuhaidah most enjoys painting, while Khairunnisa fondly recalls a recent workshop on making clay, where they got to bring work home for their parents.

Both of them have extremely buoyant personalities that create a lively energy in art sessions. Teacher Nur Hidayu divulges, “They have their own groups of friends that they share things and play with… Sometimes, during class, they giggle and exchange their own inside jokes.”

While they have had to stay home most of the time this year, they are eagerly awaiting for things to return to normal. Syuhaidah wants to see planes soaring in the sky, while Khairunnisa longs to see birds flying freely and marvel at the vastness of the sea again. Surely, it will not be long before life will return to normal again.